20 police 3.1 Police detention facilities It is the duty of the police to arrange for the detention of persons deprived of their liberty not only in connection with police matters, but also as part of the activities of Customs and the Border Guard. Most apprehensions, over 60,000 every year, are due to intoxication. The second largest group is formed by persons suspected of an offence. A small number of people detained under the Aliens Act are also held in police prisons. Depending on the reason, the duration of detention may vary from a few hours to several months. There are approximately 50 police prisons in Finland, and their size and occupancy rates vary widely. The largest police departments are currently undergoing a renovation programme. In addition to the Ombudsman, on numerous occasions international supervisory bodies have criticised the holding of remand prisoners on police premises, in particular, as they are not fit for long-term accommodation. In recent years, fewer than one hundred remand prisoners have been held on police premises on a daily basis. The Remand Imprisonment Act has been amended so that remand prisoners may not be kept in a police detention facility for longer than seven days without an exceptionally weighty reason considered by a court. Furthermore, provisions on an enhanced travel ban and house arrest during investigations have been added as alternatives to remanding prisoners in custody under the Coercive Measures Act. The amendments will enter into force on 1 January 2019. The rationale presented in the government proposal (HE 252/2016 vp) also refers to the opinions expressed by the CPT and the Ombudsman, that police facilities are unfit for accommodating remand prisoners. The long-term goal must therefore be to gradually abandon the practice of holding remand prisoners at police facilities. In 2017, the Deputy-Ombudsman recommended that four police prisons (Vaasa, Porvoo, Kotka and Kouvola) discontinue the practice of holding remand prisoners on their premises. In connection with two police prisons (Inari and Sodankylä), the Deputy-Ombudsman has further stated that their premises and security arrangements are suitable for shortterm accommodation only. The Act on the Treatment of Persons in Police Custody is also currently under review. Following the Act’s amendment, the National Police Board will update its own guidelines on the treatment of persons in police custody, and determine any general matters possibly provided for in the rules on custody facilities (a rules template). In practice, this will mean that police departments must review and update the rules for police prisons. In anticipation of this process, the Deputy-Ombudsman has recommended that police departments familiarise themselves with his decision of September 2017 (1154/2/16), detailing the matters that should be considered when drawing up rules for a detention facility. The decision can be read on the Ombudsman’s website www. oikeusasiamies.fi in Finnish.